Scouts in Haiti help spread message about hand-washing

In Haiti, where access to clean water is tricky and education is lacking, Scouts are taking to the streets with portable sinks to let passersby wash their hands and to teach the importance of doing so to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus.

Haitians are anxious that their densely populated nation could be especially hard hit in the pandemic, given the lack of modern sanitation and already overwhelmed health-care services.

Authorities last week declared a state of emergency, closing Haiti’s borders and shuttering schools and churches after detecting the first two coronavirus cases. As of Tuesday the country had reported that six people were infected.

Sporting khaki uniforms, the Scouts started positioning themselves two weeks ago on street corners of Port-au-Prince, the capital, with portable sinks. They connect these to the water supply of a school, church or business, or a simple bucket of water.